Sunday, 25 May 2014

Exams: Revision 101

Hello my little lovelies! It's exam season in the UK and us GCSE pupils are under a lot of stress (myself included). Now there are a the tiniest amounts of pupils that will study 4 months ahead, and then you have the people who like to study in short periods of time so they force themselves to do the work. I tend to be one of those people who work in short periods of time and cram until my final, but if there is one thing I have learnt this year it is: DO NOT CHANGE YOUR REVISION TECHNIQUE BEFORE YOUR 'MOCK' EXAMS!!!!!!!!!!!

Why you shouldn't change your revision technique:

Now foolish little me over here, hey, change her revision technique last minute. Now I hope none of you do this as I expect you do the good thing and leave a suitable amount of time between now and your next exam to revise, whereas I, little miss stupid, changed my revision techniques because I had a week before 'Exam Week'. I had to get as much information down as fast as I could; this led me to doing mind maps and visual techniques which were of no use to me. I am more of a 'parrot' learner. This means if I need to get something into my head I will repeat and copy it until I know all the information needed. Personally, I find mind maps a bit 'all over the place'. There's no method, pattern or order to mind maps so I find it hard to follow certain quotes and commentaries that I have written down. This meant, going into my exam I remembered little information and didn't get the grades I was expected to have (As to A*s).

How I revise:

I keep an A4 notepad for each subject and I have 6 subjects where I have to re-write everything:

Physics

Chemistry

Biology

Religious Studies

Welsh (2nd language)

So I designed a time table and set aside the time I need to focus on each subject to make sure I am focusing on each subject for the appropriate amounts of time. I don't have English and Maths notebooks because I can't copy anything out, so I ask for past papers. You can ask for past papers from any subject teacher, but because English, Maths, RS, Welsh and Chemistry are the ones I want to focus on, these are the ones I have asked for past papers on. You can also get past papers online along with the mark schemes.

I like to revise/study a little before doing these past papers as if preparing for a test. As I work through the paper I time myself. There are normally time recommendations on the front of your exam booklet for you to follow to ensure you have enough time to answer every question. I find that timing yourself trains you to stick to the time periods on the front of the paper.

I have also prepared little flashcards for me to flick through the week of the exam so I'm not cracking out the big books, and flicking through them and panicking (which then makes me forget everything)! Flashcards are easy for you to take into school too without carrying around your whole years work of the course in your bag!

Thank you for reading, and GOOD LUCK!

I love you lots like Jelly Tots,

With Love,﻿

P.S. I know this is around the time of year when teens' anxiety and panic levels rise from all the exam stress. I know this is rich coming from me, but just breathe deep, stay calm, and you should do fine! I love you xx﻿

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Hi! I'm Katie!

I am 16 and I am still at school. My blog is a place where I can share things about my life, and I also get to meet some of you lovely people along the way. Please feel free to have a little nose around, find a post that suits your fancy, kick back with a cuppa and enjoy!